CURE Clubfoot Program

A year and a half ago, a deadly earthquake shattered lives in Haiti. The CURE Clubfoot program in that country was shattered as well, but it was quickly re-established and is once again bringing healing to children throughout Haiti. Recently, Dr. Robert Cady, Co-Medical Director of CURE Clubfoot in Haiti, and Mr. John Mitchell, of MD Orthopaedics (a designer of braces used in the treatment of clubfoot), visited that country, joining Kendy Bellegarde, country coordinator of CURE Clubfoot in Haiti, to see the program in action and lend a hand as they went. 

Haiti: Together We Move

In Haiti: Together We Move, readers will be guided through the events that transpired at Haiti Adventist Hospital in the 12 months following the devastating earthquake.

The story begins just two days after the earthquake with amazing pictures and accounts of the immediate responders to Port au Prince.

Heroic stories and accounts of life saving operations are woven with vivid, moving photographs taken by numerous professional photographers including Paul Sebring and Cosmin Cosma.

With each turn of the page you will travel and experience the events that transformed Haiti Adventist Hospital from a rescue orthopedic center to what is now one of the main referral centers in all of Haiti and a leader in providing orthopedic care for the indigent.

Chronic, life altering orthopedic conditions are now treated on a daily basis and these stories are shared through the first person accounts of over 30 volunteer doctors, nurses and volunteers who traveled to Port au Prince to serve those in need. Haiti: Together We Move is 108 pages of incredible stories and photographs that will open your eyes and hearts to those in need in Haiti. We invite you to purchase a copy for yourself and help support the thousands in need all across Haiti.

Pre-order the book here.

Headed Back To Haiti

Team Sinai is readying themselves for a return engagement at Hopital Adventiste.  Official Team Sinai blogger, Merrill Chaus writes:

"From the moment we left after our weeklong mission last June, we couldn’t wait to go back. We had an amazing, life altering experience, and were able to help over 50 indigent patients who needed orthopedic surgery. Many were originally injured in the earthquake of January 12, 2010, and some were more recent trauma victims, and many were children with birth defects. We had arranged to return to Adventiste Hopital over the Christmas break, 2010, but our plans were thwarted by political and civil instability surrounding the December elections. Things in Port-au-Prince got pretty hairy, prompting American Airlines to temporarily suspend flights. Moreover, the organization hosting us, Adventist Health International, decided to temporarily evacuate their expatriate staff at Adventiste to the Dominican Republic. By the time the smoke settled, we had lost our travel window. Over the next few months, we planned, calculated, and regrouped, and finally were able to reschedule our mission to this June 2011. Most of the original 18-team members from last year were not able to make the new date, but we have successfully recruited replacements."

Led by internationally renowned pediatric orthopaedic surgeon, John Herzenberg, MD, Team Sinai is enthusiastic, motivated, and highly competent.  Both Drs Scott Nelson and Terry Dietrich hold this group in high regard and have greatly appreciated their contribution to date.  Follow their progress on the Team Sinai blog.

Scott Nelson Update From Hopital Adventiste

A 7 year old boy with a scarred and contracted leg hops up and down the street in front of Hôpital Adventiste. He has been doing this for the last 5 years since his leg was burned. He lives with his 9 year old brother, their parents are dead. Never before has there been hope. An excision of some scar tissue with full thickness skin grafting and specialized external fixation  was performed.

Read the rest of Dr Nelson's recent trip report here.

Long Time No Hear

We have not posted any new updates from Hopital Adventiste for several weeks and will continue to assume a peripheral role as long as more viable news options exist.  haitibones.org readers are encouraged to follow the development of HAH's orthopaedic program on Terry and Jeanie Dietrich's Caribbean Orthopedics blog.  Terry and Jeanie have been posting progress reports on a regular basis and we've found them to be most informative.

You can also follow the Dietrich team on Facebook and on their official webpage, Orthopedic Ministries of the Caribbean.

There exists a continuing need for volunteers including orthopaedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and physical therapists.  Contact LLU Global Health or email Terry directly at tj.dietrich99@gmail.com for more information.

Voices Of Haiti

Jeremy Cowart is a professional photographer from Nashville, Tennessee and wrote the following intro to his Haiti photo gallery:

"After the 7.0 earthquake rocked Haiti on January 12th of this year, I was deeply moved as most of you were. For days I watched as the television flashed images of gloom and doom... dead bodies, crumbled buildings... It just felt like a heartless display of numbers and statistics. "How were the people feeling?" I wondered. I was tired of hearing endless reports from strangers that just arrived to this devastated nation. So I decided to go to Port-Au-Prince myself and ask them directly. My question was simply "What do you have to say about all this?" 

Jeremy's photo essay reveals the many answers to that question.

Looking For Volunteers

The following note was sent by Amy Lindsey, Haiti Volunteer Coordinator and wife of HAH Administrator, Nathan Lindsay.

First of all I would like to thank each one of you for the time, interest, and energy that you have spent in helping the people at Hopital Adventiste d’Haiti. Through your care and concern many people have received treatment that otherwise would not have been provided. It is through help like yours that we are able to keep the hospital functioning.

Now that it has been over a year since the earthquake, the overall operations of the hospital have changed. That being said, there is still plenty to do at the hospital, especially in orthopedics. For those of you who may not already know him, Terry Dietrich is an orthopedic surgeon from Wisconsin who is anchoring the orthopedic service here at HAH for the next year. Although he will be here most of that time, there are a few dates throughout the year that he will be gone and we are looking for some willing orthopedic surgeons to fill in for a week or 2 in his absence.

Currently I am desperately trying to find orthopedic coverage for Feb 27-March 5, and March 6-12. Unfortunately the person who was scheduled to come is no longer able to and so we are looking for at least 1-2 orthopedic surgeons for each of those weeks (preferably 2 if Terry is gone). I know that it is short notice, but if you could possibly make it work please let me know ASAP. 

If you are interested in coming, we also suggest trying to bring some support staff with you (anesthesia, scrub tech, etc.). I’ll be happy to discuss any specifics with you if you are interested.

Thank you again for everything that you have done. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Amy Lindsey 

Diquini 63, Carrefour, Port-au-Prince, Haiti 

Haiti phone number 011-509-3430-8150 

Fax (909) 558-0263